IRES Track I: U.S.-Thailand: Lasting consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on landscape change in tropical crop cultivation

Americans' access to tropical crops has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies confirmed the immediate impacts of this global crisis on the agricultural system across the tropics; however, the long-term impact of COVID-19 on tropical agriculture systems remains unknown. In particular, crop cultivation is an integral part of the agriculture supply chain. While the pandemic apparently disrupts cultivation tentatively, it is unclear whether there may be a slow recovery or a permanent change in the cultivation landscape, driven by diverse, COVID-19-relevant biophysical and socioeconomic factors, e.g., crop acreage or types, and cultivation methods. Such uncertainty could have a downward impact on U.S. economy, regional trade, and food security. This project aims to address this knowledge gap by providing U.S. undergraduate and graduate students, particularly students from underrepresented groups, a unique opportunity to study the lasting consequences of COVID-19 on landscape change in tropical crop cultivation. A total of 18 U.S. students will be recruited to work on this project in Thailand, which is the largest supplier of tropical products from South and Southeast Asia to the United States. Jointly trained by UNC Charlotte faculty and Thai mentors from Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University, IRES students will develop an international understanding of tropical food systems, Earth observation big data analytics, mixed methods research, and land-use science during the cohort-based activities. The international experiences will further broaden U.S. students' horizons by exposing them to rural and urban cultures via fieldwork in agricultural and urbanizing communities and on-campus research activities in Bangkok. This project also offers unique opportunities to connect IRES students with professionals in other fields, such as inequality studies, ecological sustainability, and biodiversity in the tropics. Together, these experiences will prepare students to chart pathways into STEM and related careers.

The project addresses three interrelated research questions during three intensive summer sessions: (i) What are the differences in pre- and post-pandemic land use for crop cultivation? (ii) How does the pandemic affect the social and biophysical drivers in crop cultivation and to what effect? (iii) Will the future agricultural landscape return to a pre-pandemic state? If yes, how fast? If not, what will be different? Each year, a cohort of six students (five undergraduate and one graduate student) will be recruited with an emphasis on underrepresented groups. Cohort one will develop a cutting-edge geospatial model to extract location and acreage of crops. Cohort two will implement open-ended surveys and interviews with farmers and key stakeholders to develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the pandemic and tropical agricultural practices. Cohort three will combine results from cohort one and cohort two to simulate trajectories of future land-use change. Students will be trained to study land-use models, evaluate qualitative data, and learn effective ways to communicate mixed methods STEM research with decision makers and stakeholders in the region through student-led workshops. Our project enables a cohort experience, where the participating students will have individual projects, which together will be coordinated to address the three research questions. This project is funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.